Sleeping Beauty
by DonnysGirl87
Summary: December looms when April is rendered unconcious after an accident in Donnie's lab. Devastated, Donnie looses all faith in himself and his abilities. Will April ever wake up and can Donnie forgive himself for something that wasn't his fault? A short Christmas story for the holidays. Enjoy my friends :)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

As days went it was a pretty normal one in the lair beside the fact that the boxes that Michelangelo had pulled out of storage were decidedly festive. Leo watched from the corner of his eye as he flipped through the pages of a comic, listening to Raphael grump over that 28th of November was far to early to even consider putting out Christmas decorations.

"Aw, c'mon Raph! Where's your festive spirit?"

"I swear these damn decorations keep getting put out earlier every year."

"I'm just sorting through them, no harm in that is there?" Mikey ventured innocently.

"Until you get bored of that and start wrapping tinsel about everythin'."

"No I don't!"

"You do Mikey," Leo answered, still thumbing through his comic. "Ever since you were seven."

Michelangelo looked mildly deflated as with folded arms Raph looked down at him triumphantly. "Ya heard him Mikey, now put the decorations away."

"There's no harm in Mikey sort through the boxes Raph, at least he's preoccupied with something."

"C'mon man! Ya know there's only gunna be one outcome if ya let Mikey continue don'tcha?"

"Yeah," Leonardo said calmly. "You're going to end up wrapped in the Christmas lights and Donnie will spend the rest of the day trying to fix them after we succeed in untangling you."

Raph was aghast. "So why don'tcha do something about it?!"

Leonardo sighed, as if he had explained it a thousand times before. "Because if you just leave Mikey alone and leave him to his own devices you won't end up as a Christmas tree."

Raphael glared from Leo to his little brother who beamed back, chuckling with undisguised mirth. "You make a great tree Raph!"

"That's it! You are toast-!"

Raph had dived at Mikey when the scream ripped through the heart of the lair, accompanied by a vicious a BANG! Every head snapped up staring at Donatello's lab, eyes wide as they recognised the feminine lilt of the startled tone. Their brainiac brother's alarmed cry instantly followed.

"April? April! NO!"

Barely half a second later Leo, Mikey and Raph had piled through the lab's door whereupon they staggered to an ungainly halt.

April was lain on the floor. She was on her side, red hair singed, her top blackened and burnt. Slender pale hands looked scolded and some untold vapours rose from her still form. Not until Donatello had raised shaking hands from her and cradled the girl to his breast, did they noticed the random scolding that touched her face as her hair slipped away from her brow.

A look of untold anguish reflected from Donnie's eyes as he stared up at the three, panic rippling through his words as spoke feverishly.

"It-it was an accident! I-I swear it was an accident!"

His glistening gaze bent back toward April's unconscious body.

Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo just stared on in a frightened frozen silence, unable to say a word.


	2. A Moment Shattered

**Hello dear readers, it's been too long hasn't it? I think I owe you all a good Christmas story, don't I? Well, I hope you all enjoy this little tale. I'm really looking forward to finishing it! :)**

**XXXX**

Chapter 1 A Moment Shattered

"What would you like for Christmas Donnie?"

The seemingly random question took Donatello by surprise. "Huh?" Magnifying goggles pulled down over his eyes made him look somewhat comical as he looked up from his current project that April was helping him with.

The redhead giggled and came up to the workbench and pulled the goggles up. "There, that's better," she smiled.

Donnie's blush at April's close proximity was involuntary and he dearly hoped that she didn't notice. He cleared his throat in effort to clear his own awkwardness. "Sorry," The teen said automatically. "What did you just say April?"

"I asked what you might want for Christmas."

"Oh!" Donatello gently frowned. "Isn't it a bit early to be asking that question April?"

"Well, I did see Mikey pull out a box which looked suspiciously like 'festive' decorations."

Donnie groaned, that meant the fairy lights very well could need fixing again. Soon.

"It just got me to thinking," the girl went on. "With your present I might need a little time to find it, y'know?"

Donnie shuffled his feet indecisively. What could he say? The next thing he uttered just rolled from his tongue without a thought. "Well, what would you like April?"

"Ah, no," April wagged her finger briefly at him. "I asked you first," the boy stuttered into silence. "There's gotta be something you need or want," she gestured around the lab.

Well, there was a lot of things he needed, even more that he wanted but he really doubted that April would be able to lay her hands on any of them but he had to tell her something. Before he could answer April went on.

"Or, is there something more personal, that you wouldn't ask anyone else for?"

Donnie swallowed nervously as a sudden involuntary thought sprang to his mind. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he quickly bit on his tongue before the word 'you' slipped past his throat. He immediately averted his eyes to the workbench, trying to unnecessarily busy himself.

"Oh, well I really don't know April."

"Aw, c'mon Donnie you've got to have some idea."

The teen drew in a steady breath, "well, give me a couple of days to think of something?"

April smiled back. "Sure D, a couple of days you've got but no more," she ended wagging her finger at him in mock sternness.

Despite how he was feeling only seconds before, Donnie couldn't conceal the chuckle that bubbled up the back of his throat. "Yes Miss O'Neil understood!" he half saluted back.

The redhead burst out with a deeply infectious laugh that Donnie couldn't help but join in with. "What was that?!" she giggled.

"I don't know!" he chuckled back. "I was going with the flow!"

"Oh Donnie, you do make me smile," she replied, beaming across at him.

His boldness evaporated in a second and with a slight blush he turned back to his workbench to hide awkwardness once more. He cleared his throat then said something that in retrospect he would regret for a long while to come. "April, could you fetch me that saline solution that I left by the bunsen burner?"

"Sure," he didn't see it but he knew the redhead was still smiling.

He heard her pick up the beaker in question. "Donnie? What's this?"

The teen glanced over his shoulder as April paused in front one of his chemical experiments that was slowly ticking the time away whilst he waited for a reaction. "Oh, I'm trying to manufacture a new type of organic fuel. It's not something that I can normally experiment with if Mikey's on the loose if you know what I mean. Responsible people only."

"Ah, say no more," April said. Then he heard a light tap as she obviously touched one of the chemical filled flasks. "What's in this one?"

"I wouldn't do that April," he said over his shoulder. "Some of the chemical compounds can be highly volatile at times and-"

BOOM! April's scream tore through the lab and Donnie spun round.

"April? April! NO!"

Donnie watched as if in slow motion as his organic fuel experiment exploded in a shower of glass, flame and smoke and April's body being thrown back caught right in the epicentre of it.

The redhead hit the ground and the smoke cleared. "April?" he murmured and rushed over heedlessly crunching through the glass fragments.

He knelt down to a chorus of splintering shards and tentatively slipped a hand around the back of April's head. "April, are you okay?" he whimpered. Nothing. She was unconscious.

A lump started to fill his throat. Her beautiful red hair was singed, her face was randomly scolded by angry chemical burns as where her delicate hands. "No," he murmured. "No, no, no," he uttered starting to panic and lift her into his arms just as his brothers piled through the door.

They all staggered to a halt and stared in shock. Donatello panicked, his emotions high and upset quickly rising he said the first thing that sprang to his mind.

"It-it was an accident! I-I swear it was an accident!"

XXXX


	3. The Blame Game

**Moving along swiftly huh? I'm going to post each chapter as I essentially write them. So here's the next instalment! The chapters will be short because the story in itself is not really very long and I decided to break it up into chapters because I like a little order you know? Anyway, enough of my babbling and enjoy my dear readers!**

**XXXX**

Chapter 2 The Blame Game

The spell the others were under finally snapped as Raph shattered the silence. "What d'ya mean it was an accident?!"

Donnie felt himself blanche and the tension already present in his chest tightened. "I-I, the experiment, it-," usually so articulate Donatello's response fell from his mouth in an unorganised jumble. "Something broke an-and-," stop. Just stop whilst you're ahead.

Donnie abruptly scooped April up into his arms and swiftly carried her to the examination table.

"Answer us brainiac!"

"What happened to April D?"

"I don't know! Okay?" he suddenly shouted back. He didn't need this, he had to concentrate. They could play the 'blame game' later but right now April needed his full attention.

"Donnie, what exactly happened?" Leo asked calmly.

Donatello huffed impatiently and he carefully began to disinfect April's abrasions. "I really, really don't know Leo," he answered, now in full medic mode. "I asked April to fetch me something, she took an interest in one of my slow burning experiments, and I don't know why but it suddenly exploded."

"What the hell kinda experiment was it?" Raphael demanded.

"Organic fuel, I was trying to manufacture a new eco friendly fuel to run our vehicles on," he swept a saturated cotton swab across April's cheek and swallowed back the swelling in his throat as he tried to keep a level head.

"Eco friendly?" his older brother scoffed. "There's nothin' friendly about it if you ask me."

"Well I wasn't was I?" Donnie snapped impatiently.

"How could you be so irresponsible?" Raph snapped back. "Why the heck would you have somethin' so freaking dangerous cooking in your crazy kitchen?!"

Donnie bristled and spun about, causing Raph to fall back a step from the suddenness. "Back off meathead! If you can find a safer place for all my experiments other than my lab, then be my guest! In the meantime give me some freaking space to tend to April!"

"Why don't you get your act together Mr. Mad Scientist!"

"I said-!"

"Yame! Respect your brother's words Raphael. Shouting will not resolve anything."

At the sound of Master Splinter's voice, everyone fell silent. Donnie guessed he'd been in the background all the time until he saw fit to intercede. No one could've missed hearing the explosion.

"Allow Donatello to help April my sons. Questions can be saved for later," Splinter said, looking at Raphael. "I'm sure all will be told in due time but until then, leave your brother be."

"Hai sensei," the brothers chimed together and shuffled reluctantly out, Raphael glaring over his shoulder before closing the door behind them.

Donatello turned back to April resuming in cleaning her wounds. "Thank you sensei," he said quietly.

A pressure was rested on his shoulder and tentatively he glanced up. "I won't ask you what happened Donatello but I do sense that you feel responsible."

Donnie hung his head and sighed. "It was my experiment that hurt her sensei."

"But I am sure that you never intended anyone to get hurt my son."

"Well, no," Donnie muttered looking away. "But I should've known better. Raphael was right. It was irresponsible of me," his gaze drifted across April and he bit his bottom lip. "I shouldn't have had the experiment out in the first place."

"It is does not do to dwell on blame my son. Focus on what needs to be done Donatello," his father said gently. "I'm sure all will be well."

A moment passed and Donnie finally nodded. "Hai sensei, thank you."

Master Splinter squeezed his shoulder and left quietly.

Donnie turned back to April. It didn't matter what Splinter said really. It was his fault. The girl he cared so much about had ultimately been hurt by his hand. He doubted he would ever forgive himself.

XXXX


	4. The Vigil

**Apologies for not getting this done in time for Christmas but I am determined to finish this folks! Stick with me and I hope that you'll find the wait will be worth it! :) Happy New Year Everyone!**

XXXX

Chapter 3 The Vigil

Several day came and went and still April lay unconscious in Donnie's lab and the anxious teen never strayed to far from her side. He barely slept. He ate like a mouse. He tended her wounds and watched over her like a faithful guard dog. He didn't want to leave her alone.

He was half asleep when a firm shake of his shoulder jolted him fully awake.

"Donatello my son."

With a start Donnie snapped his head round to see Master Splinter looming over his shoulder. "Yes sensei?" he asked groggily.

"You're selfless dedication is admirable my son, but I do believe you are as they say 'burning the candle at both ends'."

Donnie breathed in deeply and blinked several times to try and stave back the exhaustion that was swiftly rising again. "Sensei, I'm fine. Honest," he tried to cover up the yawn and failed as Splinter frowned back down at him.

"I know that you may feel that way but even though ninja have stamina there is a limit Donatello my child. Please get some proper rest and sustenance."

The young teen flexed his fists atop the mattress that April was lain upon and gazed upon her unconscious form doubtfully. "I-I can't sensei. I-I need to be here and monitor her incase something-," he hesitated. "Happens," he ended quietly.

"I can do that my son, now please get some food and sleep. I will let you know if anything, 'happens'," he smiled reassuringly.

Splinter patted his shoulder and reluctantly Donnie hauled himself to his feet. "Promise sensei?"

"I promise."

Knowing that Master Splinter wasn't going to take no as an answer, Donatello accepted the inevitable. If he neglected to take care of himself how could he hope to care for April? "Thank you sensei," he uttered before taking his leave, walking at the slowest pace that he could.

XXXX

After forcing some leftovers from the fridge into him, Donnie turned and shuffled back toward his lab. Then he remembered and shifted around and headed for his bedroom.

He never quite remembered his bed being so comfortable before. On any normal day of the week Donnie could work through the tiredness, he would potter away in his lab and be none the wiser for the time that passed but today it was different. He was emotionally and physically drained on practically every level. Being worried sick about April had taken it's toll on him and only as his head hit the pillow did he fully appreciate how exhausted he really was.

He didn't know how long he actually slept but he snapped awake when someone rudely hammered on his door. It squeaked open and Donnie still feeling like the walking dead half raised himself from his mattress to see who had disturbed his much needed sleep.

He recognised the shadow of his eldest brother as it spilt across the floor. "Donnie, we need you up front. Raph spotted something up town and had the forethought this time to let us know about it before he jumps in head first."

"Yeah, alright," Donnie replied groggily dragging a hand over his face to rouse himself. "Be right there."

Leo disappeared and Donnie pulled himself to a sitting position. He didn't want to leave the lair, not really but maybe a mission right now would if anything take his overwhelmed mind off of the happenings of the last few days. Splinter could always let him know if there was any change in April's condition.

Nodding to himself Donnie agreed with himself and grabbed his staff from the side of the door and holstered it before striding out into the lair to see where Leonardo's mission would take him.

XXXX


End file.
